By: Andrew J. Hawkins | Nov. 14, 2011 It wasn’t the biggest demonstration of the last several months, nor was it the loudest, the most confrontational or the most theatrical. But the location was distinctive: not down on Wall Street, but in midtown Manhattan, outside of Cuomo’s office. Almost 100 protesters called for an extension of […]

(A national Associated Press story on the link between the NYPD’s practice of stop and frisks and racially biased marijuana arrests features an interview with VOCAL-NY community organizer Alfredo Carrasquillo. Working with our allies at the Drug Policy Alliance and Institute for Juvenile Justice Reform and Alternatives, VOCAL-NY recently forced the NYPD to issue new […]

Poz Magazine – Occupy Wall Street: Robin Hood Tax Protest (with video) November 2, 2011 A band of demonstrators dressed as Robin Hoods marched across New York City’s Financial District on October 28. No, it wasn’t a Halloween trick—and they weren’t a bunch of merry men. Instead, they’re demanding “Robin Hood”–styled taxes that could generate […]

(VOCAL-NY joined a coalition of voting rights groups to endorse a 2012 primary election date in June that would allow for greater voter participation.) State of Politics: Watchdog Groups Endorse June Primary Nov 2nd – 11:31 AM | Posted by Nick Reisman A coalition of government watchdog and voting rigts groups signed onto a letter endorsing June […]

Dozens of members from VOCAL, Community Voices Heard (CVH) and NW Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition dressed up as Robin Hoods and descended on Wall Street to demand a Financial Speculation Tax (FST) and an extension of New York’s millionaires tax on October 28th. A FST is a tiny tax on financial transactions that would raise revenue to […]

Media Contact: Sean Barry, 646.373.3344, sean@vocal-ny.org Rally for Felix Rivera-Pitre To Follow Meeting With District Attorney’s Office About Inquiry Into NYPD Assault Community activists will call for immediate termination of homophobic NYPD Deputy Inspector Johnny “Fists” Cardona for unprovoked assault on openly gay and HIV-positive community activist during #OWS march What: Rally for Felix after […]

You’ve probably heard by now about Felix Rivera-Pitre, an openly gay and HIV-positive member of VOCAL-NY who was sucker punched by a senior NYPD officer on October 14th during an Occupy Wall Street march. Since then, Felix has been interviewed alongside Rev. Jesse Jackson on Countdown with Keith Olberman, featured on the cover of the NY […]

False and malicious reports by Fox News that New York Communities of Change (NYCC) is “paying protestors” at Occupy Wall Street (OWS) is a pathetic and transparent attempt to distract from the growing frustration among people across this country that our political system has been hijacked by Wall Street and functions primarily in the interests […]

VOCAL-NY joined New York Communities for Change, United NY and other allies this morning to disrupt a conference ofmillionaire and billionaire hedge fund managers at the swanky Pierre Hotel in midtown Manhattan to draw attention to the massive tax break New York’s richest one percent stands to receive at the end of this year. Today’s protest […]

By Trinna Leong | October 19, 2011 Last night’s big Occupy Wall Street incident was the arrest of feminist and activist Naomi Wolf outside a Soho event space. But the evening actually got started when protesters from Occupy Wall Street and VOCAL NY marched to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office to demand investigation into the “unprovoked […]

Felix was interviewed by Keith Olberman on Countdown on October 19th to discuss the unprovoked assault on him by NYPD Deputy Inspector Johnny “Fists” Cardona. The police are still trying to arrest Felix on fabricated charges in order to cover up the assault. Watch what happened during the Occupy Wall Street march when Felix was attacked and his explanation […]